Bumblebee Press

This review is LONG overdue as I should’ve written it when I first met Julie @ Bumblebee Press. I own a small, couture, invitation company and was checking out the different local printers in the Atlanta Metro area. Julie invited me to come check out her place and view some samples, which I took her up on.
Don’t expect the shop to be a fancy office with a bunch of employees and the machines tucked away in a back room somewhere. The shop is located in a smaller and unassuming space. Their workspace is right in front of you as soon as you walk in and nothing is neatly tucked away. It’s all «in your face, we get busy here.» I just look at it as artists at work. :) Also, it was a bit tricky to find the shop at first as you have to pull into a gated drive (gates are unlocked) and find a place to squeeze in on the gravel area. A little confusing at first as some of the «spaces» are for another company, but after you’ve been there a couple of times you realize you just park anywhere where there’s room. This place is completely casual and the staff is oh, so friendly, especially Julie.
When I met Julie she welcomed me in and we started talking about my business. She brought out a TON of samples for me to look at and explained the differences between each. Her work is superb and you can tell she pays a lot of attention to detail and what her clients visions are. Being a newbie, I had many questions, not just about letterpress, but printing in general, and Julie had a wealth of information that she was willing to share with me.
After I left I felt empowered by the knowledge Julie provided me. Shortly after we were emailing back and forth about ideas for my business card and she worked quickly to provide me quotes for various styles. You see, I did not have a style in mind, and of course, like many, price was a factor, so I needed to see different scenarios for my card before I could make my decision. She happily provided them to me. While you may think that this should be normal practice from a print company (as did I) I’ve been shockinly surprised how some companies take offense to this… meaning if you ask for too many different quotes, they get annoyed and stop corresponding.
Anyhow, we finally chose a style for my business cards and I’ve been going back to Julie ever since. You can tell she knows her stuff. If you have a special request or a style that might not easily be done in letterpress, you can see the wheels in her head turning, figuring out an unconvential way to make your vision happen. Between her extremely sweet demeanor and her savviness and know how of her craft, I HIGHLY recommend using her for your letterpress needs. Since my first project (business cards) with her, I’ve gone back to her on several occassions for other work. She’s highly gifted in what she does and meticulous about detail. She’ll notice things like the color being a little off, or the print not being as sharp when I can’t even tell the difference. Because of this, I know I will always get perfection with her. Julie has come thru for me when I’ve had extremely tight deadlines and went over and beyond for me on my last project. I don’t want to elaborate on the «over and beyond» as I don’t want ppl to expect it from her, but let’s just say her work ethics far surpass anyone that I’ve ever worked with in this industry.
I realize I’ve gone on and on about Julie, but I truly believe she makes the company what it is. Yes, her work is gorgeous. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed in what she has to offer. But since there are many companies out there that do letterpress, I truly believe that the people you work with is what sets that company apart from the others. Oh, and her prices are extremely reasonable. I’ve gotten quotes from a much larger, local company. I won’t say the name, but starts with D and ends with icksons, and their offset printing (one of the cheapest printing techniques around) is more expensive than her letterpress (which is one of the most expensive types of printing used.) Kind of a no brainer.
All in all, Bumblebee Press gets 5 stars, hands down. I love their work, I love the owner and you’d be a fool not to use them!